We found the heart of Athens, or rather, the Athens where our hearts will remain...outside the Plaka District.
After breakfast in the hotel, we walked to the Thiseio district where we met our ebike tour guide, George (and his cat Diego which he later learned from tourists may actually be a Dieg-a).
Strictly from our opinions, there is no better way to tour Athens than pedaling effortlessly around the historic sites of Athens. The air is crisp, the sun is pure, the guide gives all the history and the insights into the life of the Greeks. We stopped 11 times (Pynx, Areopagus Hill, Herod Atticus Odeon, Temple of Olympian Zeus, Ancient Agora of Athens, Plaka, National Garden, Arch of Hadrian, Zappeion Conference and Exhibition Center, Greek Parliament and changing of the guards, Panathinaiko Stadium).
Guides are the best. Or, at least we have fully appreciated and enjoyed all those we have had over the years. A guide is essential for gaining context to first impressions. I find it just as important to get a first impression without a guide as gaining insight and context with a guide. It seems impossible to get a real feel of the city and the culture without a guide. George was very romantic about ancient Athens as well as practical and honest about where the Greeks suffer, where they have been foolish with archeological sites, their limitations and their enduring power in being the world's first democracy. He was passionate and enthusiastic. He was the essence of Athens we searched for and came up short on yesterday.
Along the bike ride, Madeline rode next to me and said, "I could see myself studying abroad here." Now seems a perfect time to announce that right before we left the states Madeline received an acceptance letter from one of the 8 colleges she applied to. Whittier College extended Madeline acceptance and $15k per year towards tuition with a possibility of an additional talent scholarship when she fully auditions in the new year. We are so excited to see her goal of college coming to fruition and how she takes that idea and imagines herself possibly studying abroad.
Madeline is able to see herself spending more time in Greece one day because outside of Plaka, Athens is romantic, inviting and authentic. Inside Plaka nearly all of Greece disappears into the crowds, and visible on every corner are reminders of the current Greek struggles.
How to Finally Beat Jet Lag:
We initially scheduled the tour at 1pm thinking we could sleep in, move slowly, and eat lunch. Instead of that great idea, we had another spark of genius and moved our tour to 11am to beat the forecasted afternoon rain (that we later discovered would never happen). This meant breakfast before 10am and no lunch until 4pm. (Hangry set in as soon as we were off the bikes and wandering without a plan.)
After a 7 mile bike ride and a run around the Panathinaiko Stadium, the kids were zonked during lunch and begged to return to the hotel. (Fischer even more zonked than the others due to his efforts to come in 1st place on our lap around the Olympic Stadium, where he spent some time laying on the ground waiting Madeline and Nolan to appear along with his energy, but hey he came in first.)
Travel Tip: Find time alone without the kids.
Since the kids were tired and grumpy, James and I took advantage of the moment and went for a walk around the less crowded streets of Plaka to look for souvenirs It was nice to experience Plaka at night after our Greek history lesson earlier in the day. Sure, we had to pound on the hotel room door and call each of the kid's cell phones in the hopes of waking one of them to let us back in, but for an hour, I had James all to myself.
An ongoing problem we are having is shrugging our jet lag. James is the only one who seems to have adapted. Last night I slept until 1:30am and then stayed up until 4am and then up again at 9am. Nolan couldn't sleep until 3am and Madeline was up in the dark journaling her dreams. Tonight, after we returned from our walk, James begged everyone to please stay awake. This did not go over well. The power of the bed was too strong for us to comply. He ended up going out to bring dinner in (Greek version of Asian food, from The Noodle Bar). Kids and I ate in relative silence looking like zombies eating our dinner, half asleep on the foot of our bed.
It didn't end there. It was like battling quicksand trying to pull us out of bed to prepare for a very early morning train ride.
Greece is challenging to fully experience. There is the mainland and there are the islands. We knew for certain that the islands would be part of some other excursion in the distant future. This trip would be all about the mainland. Tomorrow we wake early, take a train 240 miles inland to Meteora, with one duffle bag and our backpacks. We leave Hermes Hotel just for one night and then return in time for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Hopefully by then we will all be feeling like winners against jet lag.
Guides are the best. Or, at least we have fully appreciated and enjoyed all those we have had over the years. A guide is essential for gaining context to first impressions. I find it just as important to get a first impression without a guide as gaining insight and context with a guide. It seems impossible to get a real feel of the city and the culture without a guide. George was very romantic about ancient Athens as well as practical and honest about where the Greeks suffer, where they have been foolish with archeological sites, their limitations and their enduring power in being the world's first democracy. He was passionate and enthusiastic. He was the essence of Athens we searched for and came up short on yesterday.
Along the bike ride, Madeline rode next to me and said, "I could see myself studying abroad here." Now seems a perfect time to announce that right before we left the states Madeline received an acceptance letter from one of the 8 colleges she applied to. Whittier College extended Madeline acceptance and $15k per year towards tuition with a possibility of an additional talent scholarship when she fully auditions in the new year. We are so excited to see her goal of college coming to fruition and how she takes that idea and imagines herself possibly studying abroad.
Madeline is able to see herself spending more time in Greece one day because outside of Plaka, Athens is romantic, inviting and authentic. Inside Plaka nearly all of Greece disappears into the crowds, and visible on every corner are reminders of the current Greek struggles.
How to Finally Beat Jet Lag:
We initially scheduled the tour at 1pm thinking we could sleep in, move slowly, and eat lunch. Instead of that great idea, we had another spark of genius and moved our tour to 11am to beat the forecasted afternoon rain (that we later discovered would never happen). This meant breakfast before 10am and no lunch until 4pm. (Hangry set in as soon as we were off the bikes and wandering without a plan.)
After a 7 mile bike ride and a run around the Panathinaiko Stadium, the kids were zonked during lunch and begged to return to the hotel. (Fischer even more zonked than the others due to his efforts to come in 1st place on our lap around the Olympic Stadium, where he spent some time laying on the ground waiting Madeline and Nolan to appear along with his energy, but hey he came in first.)
Madeline was still on cloud nine and continued her discussion about studying abroad over fried cheese and lemonade, so she was more of a winner if we were keeping points on attitude...
Travel Tip: Find time alone without the kids.
Since the kids were tired and grumpy, James and I took advantage of the moment and went for a walk around the less crowded streets of Plaka to look for souvenirs It was nice to experience Plaka at night after our Greek history lesson earlier in the day. Sure, we had to pound on the hotel room door and call each of the kid's cell phones in the hopes of waking one of them to let us back in, but for an hour, I had James all to myself.
An ongoing problem we are having is shrugging our jet lag. James is the only one who seems to have adapted. Last night I slept until 1:30am and then stayed up until 4am and then up again at 9am. Nolan couldn't sleep until 3am and Madeline was up in the dark journaling her dreams. Tonight, after we returned from our walk, James begged everyone to please stay awake. This did not go over well. The power of the bed was too strong for us to comply. He ended up going out to bring dinner in (Greek version of Asian food, from The Noodle Bar). Kids and I ate in relative silence looking like zombies eating our dinner, half asleep on the foot of our bed.
It didn't end there. It was like battling quicksand trying to pull us out of bed to prepare for a very early morning train ride.
Greece is challenging to fully experience. There is the mainland and there are the islands. We knew for certain that the islands would be part of some other excursion in the distant future. This trip would be all about the mainland. Tomorrow we wake early, take a train 240 miles inland to Meteora, with one duffle bag and our backpacks. We leave Hermes Hotel just for one night and then return in time for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Hopefully by then we will all be feeling like winners against jet lag.
I LOVE that Madeline is dreaming about studying abroad! Hoping you wake tomorrow feeling refreshed and without jet lag! Love you!
ReplyDeleteRegina, I love your daily comments. You keep me motivated. Some days it is hard to get the post up due to fatigue.
ReplyDeleteYou're an amazing storyteller! I can visualize every moment of your trip as if I were there. Madeleine is brave, wanting to study abroad would be such a great experience for her! I think that she's going to make a difference in the world and I can't wait to see it! Love you!
ReplyDelete